Red abalone
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is in the process of developing a red abalone fishery management plan to update sections of the Abalone Recovery and Management Plan. Members of the public are invited to provide guidance for the plan by participating in an online survey concerning their preferences in the management of red abalone. The survey can be accessed on the CDFW website. The survey will run until Continue reading
In the summer of 2014, researchers wrapped up their projects determining the baseline conditions of southern California’s collection of marine protected areas (MPAs). With initial scientific baseline monitoring studies now completed, CDFW staff and partners plan to release baseline data and reports for the south coast MPAs in spring 2015. The baseline monitoring reports will be available to the public on the OceanSpaces website.
Baseline monitoring establishes a benchmark, or starting point, for both the ecological and socioeconomic conditions Continue reading
For the latest information on fishing regulations, marine resources, and news affecting our California coastline, your first stop should be the California Department of Fish and Wildlife website. This comprehensive information source contains well over 2,000 marine-related web pages and documents readily available to the public. If you are new to this website, we invite you to explore the valuable resources Continue reading
Physical characteristics for bluefin tuna
Due to concerns over population decline, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the California Fish and Game Commission will be enacting more restrictive sport regulations on Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) that will become effective later this year.
Both federal and conforming state regulations are expected to be in place by May 2015, as the fishing season kicks off. The 2015 recreational bluefin tuna bag and possession limits and new tuna fillet regulations will take effect once published in the Federal Register (federal) and California Regulatory Notice Register (state). Updated state regulations will be available on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website Continue reading
Sardines and giant kelp, Channel Islands
The Pacific sardine (Sardinops sagax caerulea) is a small pelagic fish found throughout the Pacific Ocean. In California, the Pacific sardine fishery has historically been one of the largest commercial fisheries in the state. The fishery began in the early 1900s, peaked in the late 1930s, and then declined rapidly in the 1940s during a well-known population downturn fueled by oceanic regime changes and fishing pressure. A moratorium was placed on the Pacific sardine fishery Continue reading
